Coincidence or Fate?
by J.Alberghini
Summary: Mimi and her friend go to Japan for the summer with some unexpected results. (& the Taiora sequel)
1. Coincidence or Fate?

Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon. I do not own DEL or Compaq either (well, my computer is a Compaq, but I certainly didn't create them.) Meg, her parents, and Sekio are my own creation.

Coincidence or Fate?

Summer's over. What a bummer. Especially since, this year, we have to take computer classes. That's where I'm going to now. It's my luck that I have it first everyday.

My friends say I'm so lucky because they start school a couple weeks before me. I say if I'm really lucky, I wouldn't have to go at all. I think I hate it more than the rest of them. Joe actually used to like it. But he doesn't like much else. Izzy would love this class. He probably knows more than the teacher. 

I sat down at the computer nearest to the door. It's not like I don't like them, having spent so long in the DigiWorld I shouldn't, but I don't have much use for them. More use than I did at home since the cheapest way of communicating with my friends is e-mail, but still not much. 

I pressed the button on the screen or monitor, as Izzy would say, and a green light came on. But nothing else happened. I started to raise my hand. 

"You have to press here." The girl next to me said. She pushed it for me. 

"Thanks." I said.

"No problem." The girl grinned. 

"You may spend 15 minutes getting acquainted with your computers. You may go online if you wish."

I rolled my eyes. How corny. But at least I could go online. I logged on with my online name and found I had e-mail from Sora.

"You have a pen pal in Japan?" The girl asked interested. 

"Lots of them. I grew up there. I just moved here a couple of years ago."

"Cool. I was born there. I lived there for four years, then moved here, then moved back when I was eight and came back here when I was twelve and haven't been there since. Basically we've just gone back and forth. I'm probably going with my parents next summer. We'll stay with friends of theirs."

"I'm probably going then, too." I said. "By the way, my name is Mimi."  
"Oh, I'm Meg."  
Meg? That didn't sound Japanese to me. 

She must have noticed because she said, "It's really Megumi but no one calls me that."

"Oh. Where did you live?" I asked. 

"Odaiba," she replied.

"That's where I used to live!" I exclaimed. 

"Cool. They have this son that they want to set me up with. Maybe you know him. My parents say I'm on the computer too much and I never get out. But he's like a computer genius or something."  
"What's his name?"

"It's Koushiro."  
"I don't think so. It sounds familiar though."

"Well, if he turns out to be a jerk, you could always introduce me to someone you know."

I laughed. "I don't think you'd be interested in them. Matt's really cute but he has like a ton of girls drooling all over him. He's a musician. Joe would kill me if I set him up. Izzy is a computer fanatic but the only girls he really talks to are my friends and me. His computer is his first and only love. And Tai is reserved for Sora, even though neither of them will admit that they like eachother."

"Wow, you have a lot of guy friends."

"We've been friends for years."  
"Yeah, but still."  
I shrugged. I certainly couldn't tell her why were friends. But it doesn't seem weird to me. I guess other people will never understand the bond we have.

* * * * * *

"Oh, wonderful… uh huh… great…"

Mom was talking to her friend in New York. They're coming here soon. I'm not sure when. I'll find out as soon as Mom gets off the phone. 

My parents are pretty excited about this. I'm dreading it. They have this daughter that they want me to go out with. Just my luck. This completely ruins my plans for the summer. All I want to do is relax, hang out with my friends, save the DigiWorld… basically normal stuff. The only girl I'm excited about seeing is Mimi. She's staying with Sora for the whole summer. We all decided we were going to spend a lot of time together. It was going to be like old times. But now this. I'll be lucky if I can be with them at all.

Mom hung up the phone and poked her head in. "Izzy?"

"Yeah, Mom?"  
"We've finally got a date! They're coming two weeks from Tuesday."

"Tuesday? That's when Mimi comes!"

"Well, it's no surprise. They're from New York, too, remember? They might even have the same flight."

"When is it?"

"I believe it is 10:45."

"That's the same time as Mimi's does." This makes things even worse. We were all going to meet her at the airport together. Now I won't even have a minute alone with the others. 

"We're all going to meet them at the airport."

"I don't have to stay with you, do I? All my friends are going to be there."  
"You can do both. Meet Mimi and the Katos."

"Wonderful."  
"Izzy, don't be so unenthusiastic. You're a teenage boy. You should be spending as much time with girls as you do online."

"What do you think I do online?"

"That isn't funny."  
"I spend plenty of time with girls. Mimi's a girl. Sora's a girl. Yolei and Kari are girls. You're a girl."  
"You know what I mean."

"Come on, Mom. It's not fair."  
"It's plenty fair. Get out of that virtual world and come into the real world for a change."

"Digital."  
"Whatever. Computers are not everything. When was the last time you did something outside? And I don't mean sitting outside with your laptop."  
"Well, I…"

"Exactly. Well, you'd better start." Mom sighed. "I'm sorry. I'm only doing this because I care about you."

I sighed, too. "I know. Are we done yet?"  
"Yes." Mom left and I turned back to my computer.

* * * * * *

"What time is it?" Joe asked for the hundredth time.

"We still have ten minutes." Sora replied. "It's probably going to be late anyway."

"I hope not. I have a rehearsal in a half-hour." Matt said. 

"I just want to get this over with."

"Aren't you looking forward to it?" Tai asked me. 

"I'm looking forward to seeing Mimi. But my parents' friends are coming, too. That's why they're here." I pointed to them standing a few feet away from us. "They're staying for the whole summer and they have a daughter our age."  
"Too bad," said Joe. "I'd hate it if I was set up."

"Yeah," added Matt. I think that almost never works out. Especially when your parents do it. Either she's going to be a snob or a real weirdo. Never normal. That's too good to be true."

"She can't be that bad." Tai piped up. "But if you don't like her, I'm available." Sora glared at him. "Just kidding." He said meekly. If those two don't like eachother, then I don't like computers.

"Flight 300 from New York will be arriving momentarily," came a voice from the overhead speakers. 

"Finally!" Joe exclaimed.

The plane landed and the passengers started filing out. A middle-aged couple ran over and hugged my parents. 

The woman turned to me. "You must be Izzy. The last time I saw you, you were a little kid. He's so handsome." She said to my mom.

I tried not to show my disgust. I hate it when people do that. "Nice to see you, Mr. and Mrs. Kato." Tai made gagging noises next to me. We ignored him. 

A minute later I saw girl with pink hair and yellow stars in it. She was talking to a girl we didn't know. But we knew her.

"Mimi!" We all shouted. 

She hurried over to us. "Oh, I've missed you guys so much!"  
"We've missed you, too." Sora said. The two best friends hugged. 

"Wow, that is pink."  
Mimi laughed. "Joe!" She hugged him so hard she nearly knocked his glasses off. Then she hugged Kari and TK and then Tai and Matt. Lastly, she hugged me. 

"Where are the others? I was hoping they'd be here."  
"Yolei had a family reunion this weekend. When I told her she was going to miss your arrival, she had a fit. My right ear is still recovering. And Cody had this kendo tournament thing. I'm not sure about Davis."

"He went to a two week soccer clinic." Kari replied. "His coach made the whole team go. I wish he hadn't left."

"Why? You don't miss him, do you?" TK asked worriedly. 

"No, although it's weird without him. I just wish he were here because while he's gone, I'm stuck taking care of DemiVeemon."

While we were talking to Mimi, the girl she was talking to went over to my parents and the Katos.

"Izzy," Mrs. Kato said. "This is our daughter Meg."  
"Oh, um, nice to meet you."  
"No way!" Mimi said.

"This is strange." Meg commented. 

"What is?" I asked confused. 

"I don't believe it."

"Believe what?"  
"We go to the same school." Meg explained. 

Mimi didn't say anything. She just kinda stood there gaping at us. 

* * * * * *

This is too weird. Out of all the people in Japan, Meg's parents went to set her up with Izzy. 

I could see them being a good match for eachother, because of their similar interests. And I can see why their parents feel that they need to get away from a computer screen. But, even though it makes sense, I'm not too happy about it. For one thing, I'm upset at my own forgetfulness for not remembering Izzy's real name is Koushiro. And I have this weird feeling. It's even stranger than this. But it could possibly be jealousy. I don't know why. Izzy and I are friends and all, but we've never been that close. Aside from being Digi-Destined, we never really had much of a connection to eachother. Think about it. We're completely and totally opposites. But then there's the saying "opposites attract." I never really believed it. Izzy probably only believes the scientific part of it. Still… what is it then? No matter how hard I try, I just can't think of another explanation. 

* * * * * * *

After we left the airport and dropped their luggage off at home, the six of us went out to dinner. I, to my dismay, was seated next to Meg.

"So, Izzy, how's everything going?" Mr. Kato asked. 

"Fine, I guess."  
"Your parents told us you were very good with computers." Mrs. Kato said.

"Well, I…"  
"Izzy practically lives on his computer. It's on all the time." My dad said. 

Why must they always make such a big deal out of this? It's not like it's a bad thing. 

"Meg's is, too," said her mother. "I can't even figure out how to turn it on, and she makes the most complicated thing look like nothing." Meg blushed. 

"What kind of computer do you have?" I asked. It was the first question that popped into my mind. Maybe I need to get another hobby. My aim was to somehow draw the conversation away from computers. Not to mention us. 

"Um, a Compaq." She replied. 

"Oh, those are good. I don't see them too often here, but I've heard."

"It was ranked second in America when I got it. DEL was the first, I think."  
"Oh." We grew silent. Meg picked at her salad. 

"You two should go out tomorrow. Show her around. We'd take you all tonight, but I'm sure you're tired from your flight."

"Of course. I'm sure you would have more fun without us anyway."

Meg and I both gave our mothers looks. I don't know about her, but mine said plainly; "Get me out of this!" She returned it with a classic, motherly; "I don't think so," look. 

I gave up. I knew there was no arguing with her. "I guess." I said glumly. 

"Wonderful!" Mrs. Kato said. "I'm sure you two will have a great time together."  
"Yeah, great." _As great as getting a tooth pulled._ I added silently. 

* * * * * *

"Mimi, did you ever hear of packing light?" Sora asked me. We were carrying my bags into her apartment.

"I'm staying the whole summer. I need all these suitcases."

"10 of them? When you go home, they're going to have to send you luggage on a separate plane. I'm sure you're going to have double the amount once you leave."

"No, I won't. I'll have triple." 

Sora cracked up. She opened the door. 

"Mom?" No one answered. "I guess she isn't home. I'll see if she left a note." 

Sure enough, there was a note on the kitchen table. 

It read: 

_I'll be home soon. I was invited to see my friend's begonias and I just couldn't pass it up. Dinner's on the stove. You don' t have to wait for me. _

Love, 

Mom

PS Welcome back Mimi!

"Do you want to eat now?" 

I shook my head. I can wait. Let's go for a walk."

"Okay. Let me just write a note in case Mom comes back while we're gone." She scribbled something on the paper and we went outside. 

"It is so great to be back." I said. "I've missed it here so much."  
"Don't you like it in New York?" she asked.

"Yes, but it's so different. This will always be home for me."

"What do you want to do tomorrow?"

"Guess." I replied. 

"Shop, shop and shop some more."

"You know me too well."  
"Hey, see that guy over there?"  
"Which one?" I asked. 

"The one that's staring at you."

"That guy over there?"  
"Yeah."

"What about him?"

"Don't you recognize him? Well, I guess it's been a while. That's Sekio. He went to our camp."

"Oh, now I remember."  
"He's coming over." He walked over to us. "Hey," said Sora.

"Oh, hi Sora." He said without looking at her.

"You remember Mimi right?"

"Oh, yeah. You moved back?"  
"No, I'm just staying with Sora for the summer."

"Cool. Are you busy tomorrow?"  
"No."  
"Do you want to go to the movies with me?"

"Sure," I said.

"Great. I'll pick you up at 7, okay?"

"Okay."

"See you tomorrow."

"Typical Mimi." Sora teased. "You barely been here for five minutes and already you have a date. No wonder I'm still single. You've taken them all."

"Not all of them. Tai's available." I replied. 

"Yeah, leave me with the bad ones."

"Whatever you say."

"He's my friend. Not my boyfriend."

"I never said he was."

"But you implied that I like him."

"I never said that either. You must be imagining things."

"I do not like Tai!" Sora exclaimed.

"Okay, okay. I was kidding." That wasn't exactly true. If Sora doesn't like Tai, then I don't like shopping. 

Sora must have read my mind about the last part because she said: "You're going to miss some shopping if you go out with him."

"No, I won't. We have to go to the mall tonight."  
"We?"

"Yeah. We can invite Kari to come with us. It'll be a girls night out."

Sora groaned. "I need to learn to keep my mouth shut." 

__

"At least I'm happy. Right?" 

"That makes me feel so much better." Sora said dryly.

"It'll be fun. I'm sure you'll find something Tai will like on you."

That set her off. I laughed. It's good to be back.

* * * * * *

"Do you want popcorn?" Sekio asked.

"No thanks. Let's go find seats. It's going to start in ten minutes."  
"'Kay." He put his arm around me. 

I started to remove it. Other people might think that's something Sora or Kari would do. But I do, too. At least, on the first date. Maybe at the end if things go well. But not at the beginning. 

Just as I was about to, I saw something that stopped me. Izzy and Meg had just walked in. 

"Come on," I started to say. But I was too late. They had spotted me.

* * * * * * 

After our sightseeing tour, which didn't seem necessary since she was originally from Japan and has been here before, our parents convinced us to go see a movie while they went to a play or something. 

We were engaged in a very dull conversation. About what, I don't know. I just nodded with an occasional "uh huh."

I was trying to figure out a possible way to fake my own death when she said: "And Mimi said that your first and only love was your computer."

"_What?_" That caught my attention. "What brought that up?"  
"She was telling me about all of you."

"Oh. Right. I knew that." I'm not surprised that Mimi said that about me. But I was a little hurt. Is that all she thinks of me? A computer geek? She's called me that before. Of course, people say mean things when they're starving, and they're friends are ignoring them, I still feel bad about that, but still. I guess I've always taken our friendship for more than what it was. The only reason she hangs out with me at all is because of the DigiWorld. We wouldn't be friends for anything else. That bugs me. I don't know why I care. 

I tried to put Mimi out of my mind. How hard that turned out to be. 

"Hey, look! It's Mimi!" She appeared to be relieved. "Let's go say hi."  
"I don't know…" I began. 

"Why not?" Without waiting for an answer, she practically dragged me along. 

"Oh, hey guys." Mimi said. She didn't seem too thrilled to see us either. "Sekio, you know Izzy right?"

"Oh, yeah. You're that computer guy."

For the first time, I noticed the guy with her. I don't know how I didn't notice. He was all over her like a bad suit. Well, I'm exaggerating. But he had his arm around her. 

Needless to say, I wasn't very happy about this. So unhappy, in fact, that I put my arm around Meg. She looked surprised, but she didn't resist. For a moment, I felt bad about leading her on like that. But I can't change it now. 

* * * * * *

I couldn't help but notice the look on Izzy's face when he saw Sekio with his arm around me. And then he put his arm around Meg. Even though I wasn't thrilled with them together, Meg is my friend and I don't want to see her get hurt. I don't think he did it because of me. He probably doesn't like Sekio and he's trying to prove himself or some macho thing that Izzy doesn't normally do. That must be it. It's certainly better for me than the other explanation that's been nagging at my mind: that they really do like eachother. 

"Are you guys going anywhere after the movie?" Sekio asked them. 

Meg shrugged. "I don't think so."  
"You guys should come with us. We're going out for pizza."

"I don't think…" Izzy started to say.

"We'd love to." Meg cut him off. 

"Um, great." I said, trying to sound as cheerful as possible. 

"We're going to miss the movie." Sekio said. We all went into the theater. Only one movie shows there at a time, so we all had to see the same thing. We sat down in the middle row: Sekio, Me, Izzy and Meg at the end. I think I'd feel a lot more comfortable sitting next to Meg. Then maybe I'd forget who her date was. 

At one point during the movie, I saw Meg whispering something to Izzy. He smiled and then he saw me looking at them. Embarassed, I turned away. But not before I saw her put her hand on his. For some reason, that made me sick to my stomach. Automatically, almost like I wanted to, I put my head on Sekio's shoulder. He grinned and pulled me a little closer than I would like. But I didn't do anything about it. I took a sideways glance at Izzy and Meg. They looked pretty cozy. Maybe I had been wrong. Maybe this wasn't a competition to make the other jealous; they just liked eachother. This made me feel even sicker. But that wasn't the worse part. I saw them kiss! Whether or not it was, he won. No doubt about it. I got up without a word and spent the rest of the movie in the bathroom. I just couldn't take it anymore. 

* * * * * *

I couldn't believe what I did. That definitely was going too far. I had no intention of actually kissing her. All that stuff was just to try and make Mimi as jealous as she made me feel. I didn't think it was intentional at first, but when she saw Meg and me she looked so strange. Like she was either going to cry or throw up or both. Then she just got up and left. I would've gone after her, if it hadn't been for Meg. We didn't se her until the end. 

I hoped they'd just forget about going for pizza. Mimi did, but Sekio and Meg didn't. Jerk. I don't even think he knew something was wrong. I just want to get this whole night over with. 

The pizza place was about a block away from the theater. Mimi and I just walked in silence, but Sekio and Meg chatted cheerfully about something. At least they were enjoying it. But I felt awful for doing that to Meg and confused about Mimi's reaction. I didn't have any theories about it except one and that just seemed to far-fetched to be possible. 

"What do you want on your pizza?" Sekio asked Mimi. She was staring off into space and wasn't listening. 

"She likes pepperoni." I said. "Right, Mimi?"  
"What? Oh, sure. Whatever."

"Pepperoni it is then." He didn't seem phased that I answered for her. "I like anchovies myself." 

"Me too." Meg said. "Everyone I know hates them."

"They're nuts."  
"What do you want Izzy?" asked Meg. 

"Uh, pepperoni for me too, I guess."

I barely ate any when it came. Neither did Mimi. Sekio and Meg were deep in conversation. They barely said anything to us.

"Is that okay with you?" Meg asked me. 

"What?" 

"Sekio said he'd show me around a little."  
"Didn't we do that today?" I asked, confused.

"Yeah, but she still didn't see a lot."  
"You don't mind, do you Izzy?"  
"No, go ahead."

"Great. Let's go."  
"We'll be back in a half hour," said Sekio. Mimi nodded vaguely.

We stared at our plates, unsure of what to say to eachother. Once or twice, I attempted to make conversation but failed.

Forty-five minutes had passed, by the time they came back. They looked happy and were whispering to eachother. 

"Ready to go?" Sekio asked. 

Mimi popped out of her seat. "See you guys later." She practically ran out right through the door. 

Sekio put some money down for the check. "I'll se you later." I heard him whisper to Meg. "Bye, Izzy." He hurried to catch up with Mimi.

I stood up and put the rest of the check and the tip on the table. "Let's get out of here."

"Izzy?" Meg said hesitantly as we left.

"What is it?"  
"Well, I had fun with you tonight and all… but we, Sekio and I, really hit it off. You wouldn't mind if I went out with him tomorrow, do you?"  
"No, not at all." I wasn't upset. She's better off with him anyway. But I felt sorry for Mimi. After all, he was her date. And it was because he liked her, not because their parents forced them. 

"Izzy, are you okay?" Meg looked concerned. 

"I'm fine. I was just thinking about something else."  
"Oh. " We didn't speak to eachother the rest of the way home.

* * * * * *

"You really wouldn't mind?" Sekio seemed surprised. I guess he figured I'd have a fit or something. I really couldn't have cared less. He could marry her if he wants to. It's no concern of mine. 

"Not at all. I had a very nice time. Good night." I said as I shoved my key in the lock.

I think he got the hint. "Bye," he mumbled and walked away.

I slammed the door behind me. Sora and her mom were reading in the living room. 

"What's the matter?" Sora asked without looking up from her book. 

"How was your date?" her mother asked.

"Awful," I managed to squeak out before all the tears I'd been trying to hold back came flooding out. 

"What happened?" asked Sora. She put down her book and came over to me with a box of tissues. I took one, but I didn't say anything.

"I know something that might cheer you up," said Ms. Takenouchi. 

"What?" I sniffled.

"I was talking to your parents this afternoon, and they said it was all right if you wanted to live with us." 

"Thank you," I managed to say. Any other time I would have been thrilled, but after tonight, I wasn't so sure.

"Come on." Sora led me to the coach and I sat down. 

"Well," I began, "We were at the movies when we bumped into Izzy and Meg. I felt a little awkward about those two in the beginning, but I figured it was nothing. Anyway, they were flirting and I was flirting with Sekio 'cause I was a little jealous. So, during the movie, he kissed her. And I…" I couldn't continue.

"You like him." Sora finished for me. I guess she had suspected it because she didn't seem very surprised. 

"I guess so. I never really thought about it before until I saw them kissing."

"They're a couple now? I thought Izzy didn't want to go out with her." Sora said confused. 

"He didn't and they're not. She likes Sekio. She's going out with him tomorrow. And he asked her after she kissed Izzy. What am I supposed to do?"  
"Don't worry. I'll take care of everything." Sora picked up the phone. "I'll be right back." She went into the kitchen. Her mother and I exchanged a puzzled look.

She hung up a minute later. "We're going to lunch with Tai and Izzy." She stated. 

"You called him?"  
"No. Tai's going to. That's who I was talking to."

"How is that supposed to help?"

"I said I'd take care of everything and I did. Trust me."

"Okay." I don't know what they had planned to do. I was afraid to ask.

* * * * * *

"Izzy, can you get that?" My mom asked me.

"Sure, Mom." I picked up the phone. "Hello?"

"Hey, Izzy."

"Oh, hi Tai." I went into my room. "What's up?"

"I was just talking to Sora."

"What else is new?"

"She told me about your date."  
"Oh."  
"She said Mimi seemed pretty upset."

"Yeah, I'm not sure what was wrong."

"Sora said you kissed Meg."  
"Yeah, well, technically she kissed me." I said. "But she likes Sekio now."

"The four of us are going to have lunch together tomorrow."

"What do you mean, 'the four of us?'"

"Me, you, Sora and Mimi."

"I don't know Tai. Mimi and I aren't that comfortable around eachother lately."  
"So now you will be. It's your chance."

"What chance?"

"I thought you were the smart one." Tai said. "Your chance to tell Mimi how you feel about her."

"What? We're just friends."

"Come on, Izzy. I know you like her."  
"I do not!"

"Yes, you do. And she likes you, too."

"No, she doesn't."

"Yes, she does. Why do you think she was so upset when you and Meg kissed?"

I didn't have an answer for that one."

"Look. Sora and I will be around. I'll lend you some of my courage if you need it."  
I considered it for a moment. Maybe I could tell her. It wasn't impossible. And maybe it isn't so preposterous for her to like me too. That decided it for me. But not without a condition.

"Okay, I'll tell her. But you have to tell Sora how you feel."  
"**_What?_** No. Do not make this about Sora and me. This is about you and Mimi."

"So you do like her."

"I did _not_ say that. Sora is my best friend and nothing more."

"Whatever you say, Tai." I laughed. 

"Shut up. You're coming even if I have to drag you. So don't even think about not showing. I'll see you tomorrow." He hung up.

I put down the phone.

"Who was that?" Mom asked.

"Just Tai."

"Oh, did he say anything interesting?" My dad inquired. 

"No, just stuff." I said lightly. "Nothing important.

"Okay." But I had a feeling they believed me even less than I believed Tai.

* * * * * *

Tai and Izzy were already seated when Sora and I came. 

"Hey, guys!" Sora said cheerfully. We sat across from them. 

"Hey. What's up?" Tai said.

"Not much." Sora replied. They started talking, both to eachother and to us, and before we knew it, Izzy and I were having a conversation of our own. I should have had more faith in Tai and Sora. They know how to get a couple to end their problems. After all, they have to do it for themselves all the time. Wait a second. Did I just say Izzy and me are a couple? I think I'm getting a little ahead of myself.

"Aren't we going to that soccer game?" Tai asked Sora while we were walking home.

"Oh, right. We'll see you guys later." They rushed around a corner. Now it was just Izzy and me.

* * * * * *

Now was my chance. I think Tai and Sora said that about the soccer game just so they could leave us alone. 

I took a deep breath. It was now or never. "Mimi?" I began.

"Yes?"  
"I just wanted to know if…"

"What?"  
"It's just, I really like you. I was wondering, do you think we could go out sometime?"  
"Like on a date?"

"Well, yeah. It was just a thought. Don't feel obligated to, I just figured…"

"I'd love to."

"You would?"

"Of course I would."

I let out a sigh of relief. "Great."

"It's strange isn't it?"

"What is?"

"Don't you think it's an odd coincidence that I became friends with Meg and she went out with you and now we're going out together?"  
"Yes, it is strange."

"Hmm. But maybe it wasn't a coincidence. Maybe it's fate. But you don't believe in that stuff, do you?"

"I didn't use to. But now I think I've changed my mind."

* Coming Soon*

Well, eventually. There will be a Taiora sequel to this, someday. But I have a lot of other stories to write first, so I don't know when that'll be. 


	2. Coincidence or Fate?2

Coincidence or Fate? 2

I hate the first day of school. Even gym can't cheer me up. And I have it last, too. Of course, my gym teacher's announcement didn't help anyway. 

"This year, he said, "we'll start off by playing tennis with the girls' gym class."

We all groaned especially me. I've never been a big fan of tennis. The only time I've played was when Sora forced me to. Now I'm going to make a fool out of myself in front of the boys _and_ the girls. 

"We have to do our best," he was saying. I forgot what his name was. "Let's show those girls what we're made of. We can beat them in anything." That seemed a little sexist to me and untrue. Sora, Kari, Mimi and Yolei would think so. They could beat guys at lots of stuff. I've seen it first hand. Sora played soccer as well as any boy and, in many cases, better. I can't believe she gave it up for tennis.

Apparently, my teacher had said that pretty loudly, because Ms. Kyoko, the girls' gym teacher, poked her head in and said: "We'll show you."

"We can defeat you blindfolded," he boasted. I held back a snicker. It sounded like he was talking about a war or something.

"I'm not so sure about that. We happen to have Sora Takenouchi in this class, and we're going to kick your butts. Right, girls?"

"Right," they chorused from the other side of the gym. 

I nearly passed out. Playing tennis against girls is one thing, but playing against Sora? That's even worse. Matt would probably say I'm just worried about losing to her. I'm not. I've lost to her plenty of times. It's the other guys that are the problem. They've always given me grief about being best friends with a girl. And, what's worse, they do it a lot when she's around. She always gets pretty steamed about it. Especially if I deny it, which I have done when I was little. I really regret it now. The last thing I want to do is hurt Sora. Now I just ignore them, even if they say she's my girlfriend or something. Well, maybe that's a bad example. 

That's something I do deny. Because I do like her. One of the reasons I don't want to play against her is I'll be too busy staring at her to concentrate. But she's made it pretty clear that she just wants to be friends, so I respect her wishes. But I still get angry if anyone says something about her. When we were little, it was that she was a tomboy or something. Now, although it's not as insulting, some might even say flattering, as we've grown up, well, what they say is more grown up.

"I know that girl. She's really good. Pretty, too. Maybe I'll get to ask her out," one guy said. 

"Not if I ask her first," said another. 

"You guys won't even have a chance. A babe like that will be all over me."

That was it for me. I pushed him to the ground.

"Hey, Kamiya! What's the big idea?"

"Do not refer to Sora in that way in front of me ever again."

"I just called her a babe. Relax, man."

"He's just jealous," some guy remarked, "because he knows he can't have her."

"Do you want to be next?" I threatened.

He stuck his tongue out at me. I glared at him. 

"I can't believe you'd do that "just friends" thing. Especially with a hottie like her."

"What did I just say about referring to her in that way? Sora and I are friends and we will always stay that way, period."

"Maybe that's what you make her think? But, the question is, what do you think?"

"It just so happens, I think that as well," I said annoyed. "Maybe not for a pig like you, but it is possible for a girl and a guy to be friends without thinking about her that way." Okay, I know that wasn't exactly true in our case. But not like the other guys do.

"Give us an example," the first guy challenged me. 

"Mimi and Joe," I replied.

"That nerd? No wonder. How about another?"  
"He's not a nerd. He's probably going to be better off then you one day. What about Mimi and Matt? Or Sora and Matt, for that matter."

"They're probably just his groupies. Not friends."  
"Tell us another."  
"Izzy and Sora."

"Another nerd."

"If he's such a nerd, then why is Mimi dating him? Me and Mimi."

"Doesn't count."

"How doesn't it count?" I asked. "It does."

"Only because you like Sora."

"I do not," I lied. "How many times do I have to tell you?"

"Until we believe you."

I made a fist and almost punched him in the face, but the gym teacher came up to us.

"What are you doing? Kamiya?"

"Sorry," I mumbled.

"We were just talking," the other guy said innocently. "He just got a little bent out of shape. Really, Coach Takuya." So that was his name.

"I'm keeping an eye on you," he warned. The other guys laughed at me behind his back. The bell rang. 

"Okay, you can go."  
I decided to wait for Sora. I stood by the other gym entrance. She came out a few seconds later. 

"Hey, Tai," she greeted me. "This tennis unit should be fun, don't you think? My teacher's probably going to beat that male chauvinist pig to a pulp and I plan to watch."

"Yeah, we'd better get good seats." I grinned.

"I wish she hadn't mentioned me though."  
"Why not? It's true. You're like the best tennis player in the whole school." She blushed. "She didn't even mention the half of it."

"Oh, stop it. Speaking of beating people to a pulp, that's what I'm going to do to you on the tennis court."

"We'll see about that. The only people that are going to be beaten to anything, besides my teacher, are the other guys in my class. They're such jerks."

"Yeah. I heard him yelling at you through the wall. One of these days you're going to get suspended."  
"Same old Sora," I teased. "Always worrying about other people."  
"Yeah, especially you. Just as long as you don't do anything too foolish. What was it about, anyway? 

"Oh, nothing," I said nonchalantly. "They were just making fun of me."

"Well, I'll show them a thing or two," she vowed, "no one messes with my best friend and gets away with it."  
"Yeah, knock 'em out with a tennis ball. Or, rather, hit them with a racket like you did to me the other day."  
"Stupid Tai," she said affectionately. 

"Yep, that's me." But I certainly wasn't stupid enough to tell her the truth. No way was I going to lose my best friend.

* * * * * *

"For once," Mimi told me, "I'm psyched about gym."

"I'm amazed. I didn't think you liked tennis."

"I don't. I never said anything about liking tennis. That reminds me though, do you think you could give Izzy and me a lesson?"

"Oh, so that's why you're so excited." I should have known. "How are things going with you two, anyway?"

"Good. It's like the only class that we actually have together. Do you think the high school has a what do you call it?"

"A conspiracy?" I suggested. 

"Yeah. They probably find out all of your friends and separate you from them except for, like, one per class or something."

"At least you're going to be with your boyfriend."  
"Yeah, I know. But you'll be with Tai. So, you never know what could happen." She grinned.

I rolled my eyes. "The only thing that's going to happen is that Tai gets suspended for fighting."

"How come? Do we have any yogurt?"  
"I think there's one left." She went to get it. "Need I remind you of the problems we've had?"

"About the two of you being best friends?"

"Bingo."

"Sheesh. You'd think they'd grown up by now."

"I know. It seems weird to me, too. But I think something else is going on?"

"Another conspiracy?"  
I shook my head. "No. Tai doesn't want to talk about this at all. I was the one who brought it up. But he didn't give a reason, and he certainly had no inclination of ever giving one."

Mimi sat down next to me and opened her yogurt. "Do you think there could be something really wrong?"  
"I don't know. But there's something Tai doesn't want to tell me and I think I have something to do with it."

"Other than his undying love for you, I can't think of anything he would keep from you."

"Very funny. You know where we stand on that."

"I know where you say you do. But you like him anyway."

I didn't reply. What bugs me the most is that Mimi's right. I do like him. It's hard to explain why. Maybe because he's always had such an important role in my life. Not a day went by when I didn't wonder if he would give into the teasing and drop me like a hot potato. We were friends, best friends, but he sort of kept that private. When it had to do with school, he would just talk to me about homework assignments and not much a friend would talk about. Soccer was better, but probably the only reason was because I made the team. That's why I gave it up. You see the truth was, I didn't even like soccer in the beginning. It was just one of the ways to keep our friendship intact in public. After the DigiWorld, I didn't need it any more. We may not have been in front of a bunch of people, but there were others that could tease him about it, and he didn't care. Of course, they were my friends, too. But, even so, he didn't hesitate to be my friend in front of them; therefore, he became even more important to me and we grew closer. I can't begin to say all the times he was involved in my life. It could have been just a simple dialogue or a really important event, like being kidnapped my Datamon or about my crest. If I had to make a list on paper, I think I'd destroy a whole rain forest. That's how important he is. As my best friend, our leader, _and_ someone I like.

"Sora, are you listening to me?"

"Huh? What'd you say?"

"I _said _ 'you should be honest with yourself.'"

"Oh. I am."

"Than admit it. You like him."

"Mimi, stop bugging me!" I said, annoyed.

"Okay. You don't need to bite my head off."

"Sorry. I guess I'm just a little stressed."

"A little? It seems like a lot to me."

"I don't want to talk about it, okay?"

"Okay. I won't bring it up again."

"Thank you. And I'd be happy to give you two lovebirds a tennis lesson. Just do me one favor."

"What?"

"Pay attention. Don't go fluttering your eyelashes at him the whole lesson."  
"See? That's one good thing about our relationship. We can do stuff together without being all flirty all the time. Now you and Tai, that's…"

"Mimi!"

"Oops, sorry. Won't do it again."

I groaned. Just keep these thoughts: _I want her to stay here, I want her to stay here, I want her to stay here, I want…_

* * * * * *

"Due to some conflicts (Ahem), we have decided to do something different. Instead of girls against boys, you shall be playing in boy-girl pairs," Ms. Kyoko announced. I saw Coach Takuya scowling at her. But, at the same time, he looked a little relieved. "You can pick whoever you wish."

I looked across the gym at Sora. "Partners?" I mouthed to her. She nodded. 

I heard some muttering behind me and someone snickered. It seemed as if more than half of the other guys were either making fun of me or jealous. Maybe both. Oh, well. Who cares? They'll get over it. It's not my problem.

"You have a few minutes to find a partner," coach told us. "Then, when you have one, come to us and sigh this sheet. We'll start playing actual games tomorrow. Today, we'll practice." Everyone stood up and began looking for a partner. Sora and I were the first to sigh. Finally, after much discussion and, in some guys' cases, fights, every one did. 

"Okay, we have four nets set up. Take turns playing. While you're waiting, you can practice together. Go ahead." They went into the gym office to start making schedules.

"So, up for a game?" Sora asked me. 

"Not yet," I replied. "Let's just play by ourselves for a while. You can give me some tips."  
"Okay, what do you want to know?"

_ If you would go out with me, _I thought. I kept it to myself, though. "Um, the right way to hold it?"  
"I taught you that before. Don't you remember anything?"  
"Can you go over it one more time?"

Sora sighed. "Fine. Whatever."

I was stalling for some reason. I guess I'd been hoping we wouldn't play today. To be totally honest, I stink at tennis. It's my least favorite sport. All you do is hit a little ball over a net. There's no action. It gets me dizzy watching it go back and forth. At any rate, I got out of it. Or so I thought.

"Hey, Kamiya! Play a game with us," said this guy. At first I didn't recognize him. Then I remembered. His name was Sekio. He went out with Mimi over the summer but decided to go out with her friend Meg, from New York, who was set up with Izzy. That's how they got together. He was partners with some girl I didn't know that well.

I never liked that guy. For one thing, he went for Mimi's friend when they were supposed to be with Mimi and Izzy. He's lucky that they got together. And he's just a jerk in general. We've known him since camp. Sora doesn't know this, but he used to tease me a lot for being friends with her. 

"Aw, isn't that sweet?" he said sarcastically. "Together again."

I frowned. "Yeah, and we're going to beat you together." I tried not to show how angry I was. But Sora noticed anyway. 

"I think we can still change, if you want?" Sora whispered to me.

I felt awful. "No way. I want to be partners with you. No one else." I put my arm around her to show I really meant it. 

"Can we get on with it?" he asked, bored.

"Ready to look like a fool?" I replied.

"Are you?"

"We'll show him," I whispered. Sora nodded. "Let's do it!"

* * * * * *

"Beginner's luck." Sekio glared at Tai. 

"Yeah, too bad it wasn't good," Tai said. "Wanna try again? Third time's the charm."

"No, thanks." He walked away. 

Tai gave me a high five. "We make a good team, don't we?"  
"We always have," I replied. 

"Yeah," he agreed. "I say we celebrate our victory over that swelled head. What are you doing after school?"

"I have to help Mom at the flower shop," I said.

"Oh, well, another day then." He seemed disappointed. 

"I could be late. She'll understand." That cheered him up.

The coach blew his whistle. "We'd better go change. I'll meet you outside."

"Okay." I went to the girls' locker room. Strangely, Sekio's partner was following me. And I don't mean that she was just going to the same place.

"You think you're so great, don't you?" she said.

"Excuse me?"  
"Just because you're a good tennis player and friends with Tai. But you'll never be more than that. He doesn't want to go out with a tomboy like you. I don't blame him. How embarrassing." She stuck her nose in the air and left me standing there in shock. 

I wish I had time to think of a nasty comeback. But she took me by surprise. I know I used to be, but I never thought that really mattered to him. I didn't think he wanted to be more than friends, but not for that reason. And something else just occurred to me, too. Maybe the only reason he hung out with me at all was because he felt sorry for me. I mean, think about it. He's helped me through a lot of difficult times. And there were more of those than good ones. 

I changed and got my books and then I went to upstairs to the pay phones. I picked up one and started to dial, but I changed my mind and hung up. I went outside. Tai was waiting on the steps.

"Ready?"

"Um, I think my mom really needs me. Maybe some other time."

"Oh, okay." He didn't seem too broken up about it.

"I've got to go. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Okay." I started to walk away. "Is everything all right?"  
"Yeah, just fine. See ya." I left without another word. As I reached the corner, I looked back. Tai was frowning. I started to turn away, but decided to double-check. He looked normal. I must have imagined things. 

Instead of going home, I turned another corner and went to the other entrance of the school. I figured I would wait for Mimi. I sat on the steps and watched the other kids come out. I saw people walking and talking with their friends, couples holding hands. But no Mimi. Then I remembered. Her locker was closer to the other one, so she would be going out that door. I sat there anyway, for more than ten minutes. The last people left the building, since it was only the second day of school, there were no teams yet, or after-school stuff. I was alone. No one familiar came. I stood up to leave. The door opened and hit me right in the face. 

"Oops, sorry." I heard a voice that I recognized. 

"Matt?"

* * * * * *

"What are you doing here so late?" Sora asked me. 

"I had to talk to the music teacher about replacing one of the strings in my guitar. He knows where I could get it done. What are you doing here?"

"Nothing really." She sounded kinda sad and listless.

"Is anything the matter?" I asked, worried.

"No. It's just…" She said something I couldn't quite hear.

"What something about ties?"

"No. _Tai_."

"Oh, right. I'm starting to sound like my grandma. (A/N: if you don't understand that, it has to do with something that happened in the movie.) What about him? Did you guys get into a fight?"

"No."

"Then what happened?" 

"Nothing."

"You wouldn't be so upset if nothing happened. What's going on?"

"I was just thinking. What if he's only friends with me because he feels sorry for me?"

I absolutely was not expecting that. Sora's usually so sure of herself. Only one time did I really she her come close to losing it. And that was only for a few minutes. But she must've been here for awhile. Then again, she is kinda insecure when it comes to Tai. Which I, both personally and privately, find ridiculous. To Tai, Sora's perfect in every single way. I mean, we all love Sora, but no one does as much as Tai. To him, she is like IT. He practically worships her. I'm surprised he hasn't built a temple for her yet. But then again (I'm constantly contradicting myself today), he never really shows he does. This poses a problem because of situations like this one. But who better to set her straight then his other best friend?"

"Sora, Tai isn't friends with you because of that. He lo- really likes you. That's why. Not because of pity."  
"How can you know for sure? I didn't think of it until today."

"I know for sure because that's absolutely ridiculous. And, even so, who cares, right? You have Mimi. She's your best friend. You don't need him." Heartless as it may sound, I was testing her.

"It's not the same," she replied.

"Why not?"

"Because, I…" She started to cry. My suspicions were confirmed. She does like him. 

I put my arm around her. "Don't cry." That just made her cry even harder. She buried her head in my shoulder. "Tai cares about you more than anyone else. Trust me, he does."  
"Really?" she said tearfully.

"Really."

She wiped her eyes. "And here I'm going on like a little baby. I'm an idiot. Thanks, Matt." She kissed me on the cheek.

"Your welcome."

* * * * * *

Something in Sora's face had told me that something was wrong. I just know it. But I also knew that, if she didn't tell me, she wasn't going to tell me, so I have to find out for myself.

I waited until she turned the corner and followed. Just that told me something, since the flower shop is in the opposite direction.

I watched her sit on the steps. She looked like she was waiting for someone, but, so far, no one was coming. I hid behind a tree. Many minutes passed. Finally I thought she was going to leave. Everyone else was gone. But then someone came out. It was Matt. I saw her start to cry and he comforted her. And then I saw her kiss him. Nothing big, just a kiss on the cheek, sort of like a "thank you for being there" kiss. What puzzled me the most is why Matt? I'm her best friend. She can always confide in me. If something is wrong, I should be the first to know, right? But, here she is telling Matt her problems. I was a little insulted, not to mention hurt. For a second, I felt like killing Matt. It was a little extreme, but I really did. I couldn't bear the thought of her turning to him instead of me.

Sad and lonely, jealous and angry, I decided to leave. She didn't need me anymore. She had Matt. But that wasn't going to stop me from finding out why.

* * * * * * 

Almost a second after I walked in the door, the phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Matt. It's me."

"Oh, hey Tai. What's up?"

"Did you just get home?" He asked. He sounded angry.

"Yeah, I just walked in," I replied.

"Where were you?"  
"I was at school. I had to see the music teacher."

"Oh? Just the music teacher? No one else?" I was wrong. He sounded really angry.

"Yeah, why do you ask?" I said, trying to sound cool. But he was making me nervous. Even when we had our biggest fight, I never heard him like this before.

"You didn't run into anyone?"  
"Well, I saw Sora, but…"  
"You did? Did she say anything interesting?"  
"Tai, are you okay?"

"I'm just fine. I was walking home when I saw you guys talking."

"Oh, why didn't you say 'hi'?" No wonder he was upset.

"You seemed busy. I didn't want to disturb you. She looked upset."

"Yeah, but I took care of it. Don't worry."

"Why you? Why not Mimi?" What her really meant was "why not him?"

"We just happened to bump into eachother," I said nonchalantly.

"So, she didn't go looking for you?"  
"No, we just bumped into eachother," I repeated.

"And she was upset when you did."  
"Yeah, Tai, what's the big deal? It's not a crime to talk to someone."  
"No. I'm just surprised she was talking to you when I had just seen her before."

"Maybe she became upset after."  
"Well, what was wrong?"

"It was nothing," I replied. "I took care of it. She's fine now."

"Well, if it's all over with, why don't you tell me what it was?"

"I can't."

"Why not? You two have secrets now?"

"No, she just…"  
"Is it something about me?"

"No," I lied.

"Yes, it was. It must have been. What was it?"

"Look, it was really nothing, Tai. You don't have to…"

"Why couldn't she just tell me? I mean, I caused it, right? I can't fix it if I don't know what's wrong."

"Tai, I really think you should talk to Sora about this. It's not my place." That was the wrong thing to say.

"Fine, I will." He hung up.

Uh oh. I was in trouble.

* * * * * *

"Hey, Tai." I said as I came out of the locker room. He was waiting for me after class.

"Hey. Can we talk? Alone."

"Yeah, sure." We went outside on the soccer field. "What's up?"

"Are you mad at me?" he asked.

"No, why?"

"Upset with me for any reason?"

I shook my head. "Why do you ask?"

"Do you trust me?"  
"Yes, of course I trust you."

"Hmm." He had a funny look on his face. "So you think you can tell me everything."  
"Well, not everything," I corrected him. "Most things."

"What can't you tell me?"  
I hesitated. "Just girl stuff. But you don't want to hear that."  
"So, if anything's going to be the matter, I should be the first to know, right? 'Cause we're best friends."

"Well, yeah. Usually anyway." Tai thought about this. "What's going on? What brought up all these questions?"  
"If so, then why were you telling Matt your problems and not me?"

I pursed my lips together. "Did he tell you something?"

"Not really. Just that I should talk to you."

"How did you know I did anyway?"

"I thought something was wrong, so I figured I'd check up on you."

Now I was starting to get angry. "You were spying on me?"  
"Call it what you will. It's a good thing I did."

I was outraged. "Tai, I can't believe you would…"

* * * * * * 

"How could you do such a thing?" Sora asked me.

"I'm sorry," I replied.

"I don't have to tell you everything. You don't need to know every single thing about me."

"I know, but…"

"No, you don't know. My life does not revolve around you. If I want to tell Matt something that I'm upset about it, I will. I don't need your permission. 

"Yes, I understand that. But I was worried about you," I told her.

"Well, don't. I can take care of myself."

"Of course you can. Is it so wrong for me to want to help?"

"I'm not always going to go running to you every time I have a problem. I don't depend on you for everything. Maybe you think I do, but I don't. I don't want your help. I don't need you. Ever." 

That was certainly a real slap in the face. I honestly never thought I would hear her like this. I only want to take care of her like this because I love her. I want to explain it to her, but I just can't. I'm too scared to. So I let her go on and didn't stop her or respond to anything she said, even though each was worse than the last.

* * * * * *

It figures. When you really want to see people, you don't. I looked for Tai and Sora all day and couldn't find a trace of them. I just hoped they were apart, but I knew was impossible. I went to the gym as soon as last period ended. They weren't there. This could be good. Or it could be bad. I don't think I want to know if it's bad.

Finally, I decided to go to Sora's and find out. I wouldn't come out and ask her, cause I'd get in trouble, but she probably would mention it if they did talk, since she'd be yelling at me. My first stop was the flower shop. She wasn't there, but her mom said she was probably at home, so I went there. I took the elevator to their apartment. Mimi answered the door.

"Hey, Matt," she said cheerfully. "Come in."

I stepped inside. Izzy was sitting on the coach. "Hey, Izzy. Is Sora home yet?"

Mimi shook her head. "I'm sure she'll be here soon."

I got an aching feeling that something was wrong. "Do you mind if I make a phone call?"

"No, go ahead."

"Thanks." I dialed Tai's number.

"Hello?" It was Kari. 

"Hey, it's me, Matt. Is Tai home?"

"No, not yet. But TK and the others are here, if you want to talk to him."

"No. Listen, Kari. Meet me at the high school, okay? As soon as you can. Thanks. Bye."

"What…" I hung up on her. 

"Nice seeing you guys, but I've gotta go."

"What's going on?" asked Izzy. "Where are you going?"

"To save a friendship," I replied on my way out the door. "And maybe more than that."

"We're going with you," Mimi declared. "You can explain on the way."

"Okay," I agreed, "I'll need all the help I can get."

We waited for Mimi to lock the door and then I ran. And I mean ran. I didn't even wait for the elevator. I had to stop and wait for them at the corner. They weren't even downstairs yet. Talk about slow.

"So, what's happening?" Mimi panted. "I shouldn't have worn these shoes."

"Well, we didn't exactly have time for you to change," Izzy said. "Slow down."

"Can't do it. I have to get there right away. Before they kill each other."

"Who will kill each other?" Mimi asked.

"Sora and Tai. I just hope I'm not too late."

"What did Tai do now?" Izzy inquired. 

"Hopefully nothing he'll regret," I said, "if I get there in time."

"You don't think he'd…" I think I'd got her worried.

"Not physically," I reassured her. "I know that for sure. But, mentally, they could do a whole lot of damage."

"So what should we do?"

"Just separate them until they cool down. After that, well, I don't know yet."

Even though it was only a few minutes, the trip seemed like hours. Finally we got there. I think Mimi was going to collapse. Come to think of it, Izzy looked a little exhausted himself.

Kari was anxiously waiting when we arrived. TK and the others were there, as well as Joe. 

"How'd you get here?" I asked him.

"Who do you think drove them here?" he replied.

"Never mind. Let's split up and look for them."

"Look for who?" Kari asked.

"What's going on?" TK said. 

"Just find Tai and Sora and break them up. Got it?"

"Um, okay, I guess." Yolei said, confused. But they didn't ask any questions and went off. Izzy and Mimi stayed with me.

"Where do you want to go first?"

"To the soccer field," I said automatically. That's always been somewhere I could find both of them. At least it was. 

Mimi and Izzy followed me. Before we even got there, we could hear shouting. Sure enough, it was them. Quickly, I went up to them. 

"Stop it, you two. Before you say something you'll regret."

"Matt, stay out of it. This is our problem," Tai said to me.

"Well, I'm going to fix it. Mimi, take Sora home." 

She nodded. "Come on." Sora fought her, but in the end, Mimi won.

"That's really fixed," said Tai, sarcastically. "I'll see you later."

"I don't think so." Izzy and I both took hold of his arms.

"Let go of me."

"Not until you hear us out."

* * * * * *

Mimi dragged me all the way home.

"Tai is such a jerk!" I exclaimed as soon as we got in the door.

"Calm down. I know you don't mean it. You're upset."

"Yes, I do. I can't believe he'd invade my privacy like that!"  
"He only did it out of love."

I ignored her and continued. "He's so self-centered. Like I don't have any other choice but to go to him, and he'll make my problems magically disappear."

"Only because he loves you. Corny as it may sound, he wants to be your hero."

"What are you babbling about?"

"I know that's just your anger talking. You need ice cream. That'll cool you down lots." Mimi opened the freezer. "Vanilla? You need something better, preferably chocolate. How about rocky road? I'll get some."

I shook my head. "No, I don't need rocky road. I need double fudge brownie."

Mimi grinned. "You got it." She sat down on the coach and took out her D-terminal. (A/N: That's what it's called, right?) 

"I thought you were getting ice cream."

"I am. I'm e-mailing Yolei and asking her to bring some from her family's convenience store."

"Oh." That didn't surprise me too much.

"She says she'll be here as soon as possible."

She was over in a matter of minutes, in fact, loaded down with bags. Mimi and I took them from her and placed them on the kitchen counter. 

"Not only did I bring double fudge brownie, I also brought mint chocolate chip and fudge swirl, two containers of each. Um, you guys are going to pay for this, right? Cause I'm already up to next year without allowance because of my debts."

Mimi handed her a bunch of money. "Is this enough?"

"Yeah, that's plenty. So, what are you waiting for? Dig in."

Mimi got spoons for the three of us. Naturally, I started with the double fudge brownie. 

"Nothing like chocolate to heal a broken heart," Mimi declared. 

"I'll toast to that." Yolei raised her carton in the air.

"Me, too," I agreed. We clinked them together as best as cardboard could. 

"Who needs men when you have chocolate?" laughed Mimi.

I managed a week smile. The truth is, I do, at least Tai. "Mimi?" I asked. "About what you said before, do you really think Tai…"

"What? Loves you? I have no doubt."

"So, he does?"   
"Any fool could see it," Yolei said. "You'd have to be blind and deaf not to."

"Hmm. Maybe I should go to the doctor, then," I said. "Because I'm totally clueless."

"Well, it is kind of odd, I guess, somebody feeling that way about you," Mimi mused. "But he does."

"What I want to know is," Yolei asked, "do you feel that way about him?"

"Yes," I admitted. "I do."

"Then you should go tell him that."

"How can I tell him after the fight we had today?"

"My theory is that that's just a cover for your feelings. You don't want to admit it to each other."

"I think Izzy's rubbing off on you," Yolei commented. "An interesting argument."

"Maybe the first thing I should do is apologize."

"That's a good idea," they said together.

"And the sooner the better." Mimi gently pushed me out the door.

"Um, do you think you could come with me?" I asked, meekly.

They hesitated. "Sure, sure, but just on the way there," Yolei said finally.

"Thanks, I appreciate it."

I just hope I'm ready.

* * * * * * 

"Tai, let me tell you straight," Matt said to me. "Can you handle it?"

"Yeah, I can."

"Good." He smacked me on the back of my head. 

"Hey! What was that for?"

"I'm trying to knock some sense into you. Then maybe you'll tell her the truth."

"What are you talking about?"

"He's clueless," Izzy said. "Too bad we didn't still have our crests. Mimi and I could lend ours to him."

"Why would you do that?" Matt asked him.

"So he would actually be able to figure it out himself, and we wouldn't have to tell him, and so he can be honest with her and himself."

"No matter what the subject," I said, "I can't understand a word you say." Now he smacked me.

"Tai, you have to admit it," said Matt. "The reason this whole thing started was because she didn't think you really cared about her."

"But that's ridiculous," I protested. "She should know."

Izzy shrugged. "Well, she doesn't. And it's up to you to change that."

"What am I supposed to do?" I asked. 

"You need to shout it out to the world," Mat replied. "Really. It's the only way. So tell us how you really feel. And then tell her."

I sighed. "Fine. I like Sora."

They exchanged a look. "That isn't good enough."

"Okay, Matt. You win. I really like Sora."

Izzy shook his head. "Still, no. If you keep adding reallys we'll be here for an eternity. Use a stronger word."

"No way." I'm not that stupid. I knew what he was getting at.

"_Tai_," Matt said in a warning tone.

"All right. I love Sora," I whispered.

"Huh? Did you hear something, Izzy? Cause I didn't."

"No, Matt. I didn't either."

"I love Sora," I said in my normal voice.

Matt moved back a few steps. "Pretend I'm losing my hearing and standing all the way over there."

"I love Sora," I said, loudly.

"Let's say, I'm completely deaf and standing even farther behind Matt."

"I'm in love with Sora!"

"How about on the other side of the world?" Matt suggested. 

"I'M IN LOVE WITH SORA!"

Izzy grinned. "Now that's more like it."

"One more time. Really loud."

"Do you do this at your concerts?" I asked.

"I can't hear you!"

"I'M IN LOVE WITH SORA!!!!!!"

"There you go, all done. Was that so hard?"  
"What?" I turned around. Sora was standing behind me with Mimi and Yolei. Her jaw was practically underground. 

Matt winked. "We'll leave you two alone."

I wanted to shout, "Don't leave me!" But I didn't.

"So, what's up?" My face was as red as a tomato.

"I wanted to talk to you," she said.

"Oh, what about?"

"Um, I'm kinda at a loss for words right now. I need to recover. I'm sorry, it's just not everyday someone says that like they're at a pep rally or a soccer game."

"Was I that loud?"

"Uh, yeah, you were."

"Oh." That's the last time I listen to Matt. Now she thinks I'm insane or worse.

"So, what did you want to talk to me about?" I asked.

"Um, well, I came to tell you that… but now I think I lost my nerve."

"Do you…" I couldn't finish. She didn't answer. "Oh. Okay. I get it. I'll see you." I started to walk away.

"Tai, wait!" She grabbed my hand. "I know I can't say it quite as loud as you did, but… I love you, too."

If the outdoors had a ceiling, I would have hit it. "Wh-, wh- what?" I stuttered. 

"I said, 'I love you, too.'"

I nearly passed out. "Someone pinch me."

"Okay." She pinched my arm.

"Ow! So this isn't a dream."

"Nope, it's real. At least for you." She pinched herself. "Me, too."

"This is, this is really…"

Her face broke into a grin. "Yeah, I know. Isn't it?"

"Yes, it is. So, how 'bout we make it official?"

"Sealed with a kiss, perhaps?"

"You read my mind." I kissed her.

Sora sighed happily. "Maybe fights aren't so bad."

"Yeah," I agreed. "As long as we always make up like this."

"Well, I can't guarantee it. But I'll try. Will you?"

"You bet." I picked her up and swung her around.

"Just don't do that again."

"Sorry."

"Eek. I think I'm going to lose my ice cream."

I pulled away from her. "I didn't need to know that." She punched me in the arm.

"Aw, aren't they sweet?" Mimi cooed. The whole group, both old and new, was behind us. 

"Sheesh, talk about invasion of privacy."

"Too bad," Kari said. "It's a thing called destiny. We're meant to do it."

"Well," I replied, "I guess we were meant to happen." Sora put her head on my shoulder. I wrapped my arms around her.

I guess there's more to destiny then saving a world. Fate is what brings people together. Or maybe it's just a coincidence. We'll never know.

The End. 


End file.
